


The Height of Infamy

by SecretMaker



Series: Poly Karasuno Fics [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Insecurity, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Poly Karasuno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 00:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13376160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretMaker/pseuds/SecretMaker
Summary: Tsukishima is insecure about a lot of things, but his height is chief on the list. Luckily, Nishinoya is there to help change some of that around.





	The Height of Infamy

The train was where it was the worst. There was no sitting for Kei, since his legs took up too much space in the aisle and didn’t fit in the forward-facing seats. So he stood, usually as close to the door as possible, and tried to ignore the stares.

 

There were so many stares. People gawked openly at him, as though they had never seen someone over 190 centimeters before. Which, in all fairness, most of them hadn’t. It was just one of the joys of being Kei.

 

The train pulled into the station and Kei had to duck to fit through the door. There were more people on the platform, including a child who pointed and stared open-mouthed at him. Kei grimaced and shrugged his shoulders, trying uselessly to mask his height.

 

It wasn’t like he wanted to be short. Hinata got as many stares at games as Kei, if not more. He just wished he was more… average, more able to blend in. He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to hurry without drawing even more attention to himself.

 

Nishinoya’s house wasn’t far from the station, but that only meant the roads weren’t deserted. Kei shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and picked up the pace, hardly pausing on Nishinoya’s doorstep before he let himself in.

 

There was a shout of “Kei!” and the sound of footsteps barreling down the stairs, the only warning Kei got before Nishinoya launched himself into Kei’s arms. Kei grimaced when he realized yet again that the top of Nishinoya’s hair barely reached Kei’s shoulders.

 

“Good, you’re here,” Nishinoya said, blissfully unaware of Kei’s distaste with himself. He grabbed Kei by the wrist and started dragging him up the stairs. “I was just video chatting with Asahi and Ryuu and Ryuu tried to tell me it was impossible that you’re still growing. So I need you to stand next to me and prove them wrong.”

 

“I’d really rather not, Yuu,” said Kei, but Nishinoya either didn’t hear him or didn’t heed him because the next thing Kei knew he was throwing open the door to his bedroom and shouting triumphantly.

 

“See?” he yelled, tugging Kei into the room. Kei had to duck under the doorway. “He’s practically two meters now!”

 

“I am not,” Kei said, tugging his arm out of Nishinoya’s grasp.

 

“Close enough,” Nishinoya said. “What are you, like one-ninety-six? One-ninety-seven?”

 

Shame flooded Kei’s cheeks with heat and he mumbled, “One hundred ninety-eight.”

 

“That’s amazing!” Tanaka cried from Nishinoya’s computer.

 

“It is surprising,” Asahi said, like he was trying to keep the peace. Like he knew what was going through Kei’s head. “Kei is amazing for other reasons, though,” he said. “Anyway, we should get going. Ryuu has class in an hour and he promised me he would unload the dishwasher first.”

 

“Love you!” Nishinoya shouted. Tanaka shouted it back, and Asahi replied at a much more sedate level. Kei mumbled something that might have been an I-love-you, if it had more syllables and more volume. Nishinoya closed the lid to his computer and wheeled around to face Kei. “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

 

“Nothing,” Kei said.

 

“Don’t lie to me,” Nishinoya said, stepping forward menacingly. Kei backed up into the doorway, but forgot to duck. He smacked the back of his head on the door frame with a loud _thwack_ and a curse.

 

“That’s what’s wrong!” he cried, clutching the back of his head. “I’m a freak! I can’t go anywhere without being stared at!”

 

“Whaddya mean you’re a freak?” Nishinoya asked, hands on his hips. “You look fine to me.”

 

“No normal person is almost two meters tall,” Kei hissed. “I get stared at on the street, like a dog walking on its hind legs. God, I just wish I was normal.”

 

“But you are normal,” Nishinoya said. He stepped forward and took Kei’s hand. Kei tried not to notice how much of a size difference there was between them. “Tell me what’s really going on.”

 

“Nothing,” Kei said. “Forget it.”

 

Nishinoya frowned. He tugged Kei into the room and over to the bed, setting the computer on the floor so they wouldn’t dislodge it. He pushed Kei down onto the mattress and climbed into his lap, resting his arms on Kei’s shoulders and looking into his eyes. “There now,” he said. “We’re on the same level.”

 

Kei didn’t know why something like that made tears spring to his eyes, but he leaned forward and buried his face in Nishinoya’s slender shoulder. His chest racked with sobs as he clutched at his boyfriend’s sides, trying desperately for some sort of grip on his emotions. “I hate it,” he wailed. “I hate people staring at me, I hate hitting my head on things, I hate feeling like some sort of freak show. I just wish I was normal.”

 

“I wish I was more like you,” Nishinoya said. “Do you know how much I envy you?”

 

“Why would you envy a freak like me?” Kei sniffled. Nishinoya chuckled, a soft, soothing sound. He reached up to run his fingers through Kei’s curls and hummed.

 

“Let’s see,” he said. “First of all, you don’t have to worry about getting lost in crowds like I do. You’re always easy to follow around. And you can reach all the stuff in the cupboards, no matter whose place we’re at.”

 

“Glad to know my height is of such great use to you,” Kei droned.

 

“It is,” Nishinoya said. “Especially when we’re asleep and I can feel you wrapped completely around me, like you’ll never let me go. I always feel so safe around you.”

 

“I didn’t realize you needed to feel safe,” Kei scoffed.

 

“I do.” Nishinoya looked at him seriously. “I know I’m always guarding your guys’ backs, but sometimes I need to feel like someone’s watching mine. And for some reason, you make me feel that way.”

 

Hearing that didn’t make Kei magically feel better about his height. The world simply didn’t work that way. But when Nishinoya sat down on his thighs and pressed his face to the front of Kei’s shirt, he began to feel like maybe this was the path that would bring him there eventually. He held Nishinoya tight and leaned down to bury his nose in his spiky black hair.

 

“Thank you,” he whispered.

 

“You are so loved, Kei,” Nishinoya said. “All one hundred ninety-eight centimeters of you. Never forget that.”

 

“I won’t,” Kei promised, and it felt like one promise he could truly keep. After all, it wasn’t like he was ever given the opportunity to forget.

 

“Good. Now can you grab the remote for me? Tadashi hid it on top of the tv armoire the last time he was over here and I haven’t been able to climb up there since.” Kei rolled his eyes.

 

“I knew you were just here to use me,” he said.

 

“No,” Nishinoya cried. “I really do need you, Kei! I haven’t watched tv in three days!”

 

“Fine.” Kei stood, and Nishinoya clung to his front like a koala, nuzzling happily into his shirt. Kei ducked out of Nishinoya’s room, looking forward to an afternoon of cuddling on the couch. He held Nishinoya a little tighter and stepped out into the rest of his life.


End file.
